As most writers, I am a tiny bit obsessed with music. Apropos of nothing, more than 14 million Americans are now out of work (according to the latest blizzard of stunningly disappointing U.S. Labor Department data released Friday).
In the past, we’ve seen our tired, poor and huddled masses of unemployed making not-happy-to-be-unemployed noises. Loudly.
Not so this time around.
If nearly 10 percent of the U.S. population is not working — not even beginning to count those who simply choose not to work, which would make it over 11 percent — why don’t we see any Million Unemployed Man Marches on Washington?
It now takes nine months on average for someone who is let go to find work again. That’s plenty of time to bang garbage can covers together with the other unemployed, if one feels like it.
Here’s the problem: these days, not making a lot of money — and especially being unemployed — is tantamount to wearing a scarlett letter. Professionally, it’s rough. But socially, it is a death sentence.
Which brings me back to the music, the best reflection of our culture I can think of. During the money-crazed 80s we had no dearth of songs about money, but they were ironic.
“Money For Nothing” (Dire Straits)
“Money Changes Everything” (Cyndi Lauper)
“I Want It All” (Queen)
“Notorious” and “All She Wants” (Duran Duran)
“How To Be A Millionaire” (ABC)
“Silver and Gold” (U2)
“Big Time” (Peter Gabriel)
In the new millennium, we see an entirely different kind of ethos behind the hallowed Money Song, embracing a flat-out, unapologetic drive for dollars. A bumper crop of odes to money, sans the irony. The traditional love song has been replaced by a new kind of love song devoted to the size of one’s wallet.
“Beautiful, Dirty, Rich” and “Money Honey” (Lady Gaga)
“In Da Club” (50 Cent…from the aptly titled “Get Rich Or Die Tryin'” album)
“Give Me Everything” and “Hey Baby” (Pitbull)
“Ride Wit Me” (Nelly)
“Rich Girl” (Gwen Stefani…swiped from “Fiddler on the Roof” and stripped of all dimension)
“Gold Digger” (Kayne West)
“The Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)” (Wyclef Jean)
And the list goes on, so let’s not get boring.
The money hasn’t changed. We have.
Money has become our No. 1 priority. We have made those who are unfortunate enough to lose their jobs feel it is their fault. Not the fault of our leaders, who have long known the depth of our problems but fail to do anything about them. And our “culture,” which isn’t offended by members of congress having fancy second and third homes while millions of Americans lose the only one they have.
The worst part: the unemployed do feel ashamed. Although what has happened to them is systemic. Feeling this way, how easy must it be for them to do anything but try to remain as invisible as possible until they have jobs again?